


Acts of Repudiation

by TS2



Series: Path to Redemption [8]
Category: Westworld (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25785115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TS2/pseuds/TS2
Summary: William comes across a familiar old painting.Spoilers: Westworld season 1-2
Series: Path to Redemption [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824142





	Acts of Repudiation

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place just after episode 7 of Season 2.
> 
> Link to a copy of "The Accolade": https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Accolade_by_Edmund_Blair_Leighton.jpg

(William dressed in his standard man-in-black suit without a hat, and Lawrence in his standard American south-west scoundrel outfit, are walking along the corridors of glass-walled offices of the Mesa complex. They stop at the door of one office where a seated technician, wearing a grey shirt and black pants, is working away on a tablet screen at a desk, facing away from them and oblivious to their presence. Inside the office is a tablet on an easel, displaying a painting of a woman holding a sword, knighting a kneeling man in armor with his hands clasped in prayer. Lawrence sees some potential items of interest in an opposing room that contains scattered corpses of hosts, and enters that room. William opens the door to the office with the technician inside, surprising him.)

TECHNICIAN: (frantically reaching for a sub-machine gun just out of his reach and screaming) “JESUS FUCKING-”

WILLIAM: (showing his empty hands) “EASY I’m just a guest, not gonna hurt you.”

TECHNICIAN: “Oh man, I almost had a heart attack… (head in his hands)… I can’t take much more of this, this is insane, this is crazy-“

WILLIAM: “What do you do here, kid?”

TECHNICIAN: (Looking up at William, then his tablet screen) “Do here? Uh, right now, stuff I’m not even trained for, but because of dead people everywhere I’m the guy sticking his finger in the dam wall. And failing.”

WILLIAM: (Looking around the office cubicle, noticing a tablet screen displaying a painting, held by a small easel on a table) “Guy I passed in the hall said there was a guy down this way who worked in wardrobe. You the guy?”

TECHNICIAN: “Wardrobe? Yeah, I guess that’s me, but with this place a warzone I’ve been tasked with more urgent stuff, so, unless you know anything about how the security system of this-“

WILLIAM: (Looking at the painting on the easel more closely) “You’re kidding me. ‘The Accolade’.”

TECHNICIAN: “The what? Oh, right, the Leighton painting. What about it?”

WILLIAM: “This yours?”

TECHNICIAN: “Yeah, I need it for a project.”

WILLIAM: “What project?”

TECHNICIAN: “A dress a guest wanted for one of the parks. Look, I’m really busy here, so-“

WILLIAM: “Take a break, you look like you need one. Don’t worry about it, I know the boss.”

TECHNICIAN: (slouching down into his chair) “Ya, non-stop work and stress takes its toll. I’d pass out but I’m terrified of closing my eyes right now.”

WILLIAM: “So one of the guests wanted THAT exact dress from the painting?”

TECHNICIAN: “They just wanted A dress that looked a certain way…I remembered the dress from that painting, figured it would save me the grief of creating something from scratch, so-“

WILLIAM: (suspicious) “Did Ford put you up to this?”

TECHNICIAN: (confused) “What…you mean him, like FORD Ford? No, I’ve never even talked to-“

WILLIAM: “So you’re just a fan of the painting?”

TECHNICIAN: “Uh, yeah, guess I am. Fan of Leighton in general, but that might be my fav.”

WILLIAM: “What do you like about it?”

TECHNICIAN: (getting up and standing next to William to get a closer look at the painting) “I don’t know…it’s vaguely romantic…”

WILLIAM: “How so?”

TECHNICIAN: “…evokes thoughts of chivalry…I mean, an attractive young woman knighting a young man…”

WILLIAM: “Yeah, if it was just about the righteousness of loyalty to a lord or king, you’d have a painting of a great man knighting someone…something more martial…but it’s an unknown woman of high rank and an unknown knight. He’s submitting himself to her, and in return she’s elevating him. ”

TECHNICIAN: “Kind of a metaphor for civilization…you give up the freedom to do anything you want, and in exchange you have laws, peace…advancement.”

WILLIAM: “What freedom is he giving up exactly?”

TECHNICIAN: “Well, for me, the stuff humanity can do without. Strong exploiting the weak, might equaling right…”

WILLIAM: “You wouldn’t do well in big business.”

TECHNICIAN: (smiling) “No, probably not.”

WILLIAM: “She’s holding the scabbard, implies she drew the sword herself…carrying it with an air of competency.”

TECHNICIAN: “Wearing a white dress, color of purity, innocence.”

WILLIAM: “…What do you think he’s praying for?”

TECHNICIAN: “Success.”

WILLIAM: “Kinda vague. Success in what?”

TECHNICIAN: “…maybe being worthy of her belief in him.”

WILLIAM: “Failing to live up to the standards of the woman of your dreams…that’s a long, hard fall. Even worse, getting rejected by her…”

TECHNICIAN: “Maybe he’s thankful to God, as well, for his good fortune. He’s entering a higher social class, thanks to her favor.”

WILLIAM: (slightly annoyed) “You think he misled her into getting knighted? Wanted her connections to bring himself up in the world?”

TECHNICIAN: “Uh, not necessarily…just saying that he’s deriving benefit from her attention. I mean, you can only ascribe so many realistic motives to the people in this painting. It’s just a general painting on an old-fashioned romantic ideal. Kind of like a Rorschach test, like a lot of art. You see what you want to see.”

WILLIAM: (mostly talking to himself, staring at the painting)“…what do I want to see…the devoted knight pledging service to his worthy beloved…the fortune hunter exploiting his oblivious mark…or is HE the mark, a fool following a delusion created by a madman…”

TECHNICIAN: (quietly) “Um…not sure I understand that last one…”

WILLIAM: “I always liked this painting, ever since I was a kid. Evoked a dream I wanted to live in. There being someone out there, someone true, worthy of my devotion. I knew I would eventually buy the original when I chose to be the man I am.”

TECHNICIAN: (impressed) “You actually own the real painting? Wow, cool.”

WILLIAM: “This painting was one of the first big extravagant expenditures of my life. When I had enough money to burn, I bought it, brought it home… placed it on a bonfire, and watched it slowly go up in flames.”

TECHNICIAN: “…wait, you what? You BURNED the original painting? Why...Why would you do that?”

WILLIAM: “Prove to myself that I’d moved on from wanting to live in dreams. The ideals I’d fantasized about were just dead weight that held you back in this world. ”

TECHNICIAN: (confused) “But, that…that’s crazy. It’s just a painting…destroying it doesn’t destroy the ideals.”

WILLIAM: “I wanted an act to cement my choice. An act of repudiation. I could only burn the painting once, though...found myself needing to destroy other things from time to time.”

TECHNICIAN: “But…what exactly were you rejecting?”

WILLIAM: “What I’m looking for now. Something worthy of my devotion. ”

(Lawrence enters the office space holding a couple of rifles and bandoleers)

LAWRENCE: “Found us a couple of Winchester’s and ammo.”

WILLIAM: “Lawrence, let me see one of those rifles. Step back kid. Loaded?”

LAWRENCE: (handing a Winchester rifle to William) “Fully.”

(William quickly aims and shoots the screen displaying the painting, sending it tumbling over and shattering it into pieces)

TECHNICIAN: “JESUS…What are you doing!?”

WILLIAM: “I’ve got enough painful reminders in my life.”

TECHNICIAN: “Then just turn off the screen!”

WILLIAM: (slight grin) “Nah, this is more satisfying.”

TECHNICIAN: (a bit stunned) “You’re…you’re insane.”

WILLIAM: “Not the first time I’ve heard that observation. Now, enough fucking art, I need a new hat.”


End file.
